Lentil lasagne

It will give you a lot of satisfaction to know you can make a lasagne completely from scratch.  Building up the layers with your own home-made pasta sheets is rather fun!  This is a complete meal in itself:  the pasta sheets contain two large handfuls of spinach;  there is protein in the form of two types of lentils in the filling as well as the tofu;  then there is the goodness of tomatoes, while steamed cauliflower is blended with soy milk to make the white sauce.

140 g unbleached white / wholemeal spelt flour

2 ml salt

90 g cooked spinach (chopped, steamed and water squeezed out, chopped again very finely)

1½ tbsp olive oil

filling:

4 tbsp each of two different types of lentils

1 tbsp olive oil

½ large red onion, finely chopped

1 block tofu, drained and patted dry

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tsp each dried oregano and basil

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

½ tsp cinnamon powder

4 fresh bay leaves

passata:

5 large tomatoes, chopped (no need to peel or remove seeds), use acid-free if you can

2 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste

black pepper, to taste

1 tsp herbal salt

white sauce:

1 cup chopped, steamed cauliflower florets

½ cup soy milk

1 tsp olive oil

1½ tbsp savoury yeast flakes, crushed

1. Mix the flour and salt together in a bowl.  Make a hollow in the flour and pour in the olive oil.  Stir to mix in the oil (roughly).  Add the spinach and stir in a cutting motion until they start to combine.

2. Tip the dough onto the work surface and knead until the spinach makes the dough moist and the dough feels soft and elastic – like play dough.  (It is correct when the dough feels thick and stiff – this makes it easier to roll out later.)  Place the dough in a plastic bag and rest in the refrigerator until needed.

3. Meanwhile, make the filling:  pour the two types of lentils together into a pot and boil for 10 minutes until they are cooked and soft.  Drain and set aside.

4. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and fry the onion until soft.  Add the tofu by roughly grating it over the onions with a small grater.  Fry together, stirring from time to time until the tofu is dry.  Add the garlic and fry for another 1 minute.  Add all the herbs and spices and stir for 1 minute more.  Remove the pan from the heat.  Stir in the lentils and set aside.

5. To make (a quick!) passata, place the tomatoes, tomato paste, black pepper and herbal salt in a liquidizer and blend until smooth.  Add to the lentil and tofu mixture.  To make the white sauce: blend the steamed cauliflower with the soy milk, olive oil  and yeast flakes until smooth.

6. Pre-heat the oven to 170°C.  Lightly spray an oven dish with olive oil.  Make sure the dish is large enough to hold all the ingredients.  Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide into 3.  Roll each part into a ball, then flatten with your hand.

7. Flour the pieces of dough and your work surface.  Roll out the dough, either by hand or with a pasta machine, until you have enough pasta to make 3 layers for the lasagne.  Cut the pasta into sheets to fit into the oven dish.

8. Assemble the lasagne: place a few spoonfuls of the lentil tofu mixture into the dish.  Place a layer of pasta (a sheet, or a few pieces cut to fit) in the dish, spoon a third (of what is left) of the lentil tofu mixture over, place a bay leaf on top, then pour a third of the cauliflower white sauce over.  Repeat with another layer of pasta: the second third

of the lentil mixture, bay leaf, and then the cauliflower sauce.  Repeat with the third and last layer.  Place 2 bay leaves on top.

9. Bake in the oven on a lower shelf for 30 minutes until it starts to bubble, and the white sauce starts to form golden brown patches (the sauce may dry out a bit and form cracks - this is fine).

Serves 6.

Cook’s tip:

To save time and energy, steam the spinach and cauliflower at the same time, separately in a double steamer.

Serve the lasagne with a fresh green salad and some grated carrot for a nice contrast in texture and colour. 

Recipes from: BENESSERE well-being: vegan & sugar-free eating for a healthy life-style by Laurinda Erasmus. Cook book available from The Vegan Society shop.